One thing you’ll hear everywhere is the importance of layering, but it’s not as simple as you might think. Chucking on 7 layers simply isn’t the right approach - it’s about selecting the layers that offer the most protection and wearing them in the right order to help them perform at their best.
One thing you’ll hear everywhere is the importance of layering, but it’s not as simple as you might think. Chucking on 7 layers simply isn’t the right approach - it’s about selecting the layers that offer the most protection and wearing them in the right order to help them perform at their best.
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That first layer sits next to your skin, and this should provide you with the immediate insulative protection in cold weather. Most commonly, this means a thermal base layer - designed to trap heat generated by the body, it is this element that actually keeps you warm. A quality base layer should be able to keep that warm air next to your skin, whilst offering breathability, allowing you to put down winning efforts in sprints and intense bursts.
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That first layer sits next to your skin, and this should provide you with the immediate insulative protection in cold weather. Most commonly, this means a thermal base layer - designed to trap heat generated by the body, it is this element that actually keeps you warm. A quality base layer should be able to keep that warm air next to your skin, whilst offering breathability, allowing you to put down winning efforts in sprints and intense bursts.
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For cold weather on a bike, it’s generally considered that in the coldest temperatures, you’re best off opting for Trägerhosen. The best offer windproofing and even a little water repellency, helping keep freezing rain at bay.
Alternatively, another consideration to make are thermally lined trägershorts paired with leg stulpen. Our own Therma Trägershorts were made for combating extreme cold on the bike, and when paired with our Leg Stulpen provide a level of protection equal to that of our bib tights.
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For cold weather on a bike, it’s generally considered that in the coldest temperatures, you’re best off opting for Trägerhosen. The best offer windproofing and even a little water repellency, helping keep freezing rain at bay.
Alternatively, another consideration to make are thermally lined trägershorts paired with leg stulpen. Our own Therma Trägershorts were made for combating extreme cold on the bike, and when paired with our Leg Stulpen provide a level of protection equal to that of our bib tights.
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With regards to feet, unless you’re going to resort to a pair of winter specific cycling shoes, you’re going to need to invest in a pair of woolly socken. These will work well within the shoe to keep you warm, but the real winning move is to cover them with a windproof overshoe.
This helps plug the ventilation channels in your shoes, whilst also allowing you to trap a layer of warm air around your feet. Our Windtex Overshoes are ideal in this instance as they’re also water repellent, allowing you to blast through puddles without too much concern.
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You’ll hear much about gloves among cyclists. The broad consensus is that a thin liner glove matched with a thicker glove with greater protection is a winning combination, and whilst that does work, it does leave you with little in the way of dexterity.
The wisdom on this is gradually evolving. Yes - the double glove option is still a winner, but increasingly there’s a move towards keeping your hands warm by keeping them wet. This is what Neoprene Gloves do. They trap your heat and insulate to such a degree that there’s very little breathability - meaning that you have an entirely sealed experience. This is not something commonly touted as a positive in cycling, but in deep winter conditions, this design allows you to ride onwards in downpours as well as big chills with minimal disruption to your feel and control on the handlebars.
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With regards to feet, unless you’re going to resort to a pair of winter specific cycling shoes, you’re going to need to invest in a pair of woolly socken. These will work well within the shoe to keep you warm, but the real winning move is to cover them with a windproof overshoe.
This helps plug the ventilation channels in your shoes, whilst also allowing you to trap a layer of warm air around your feet. Our Windtex Overshoes are ideal in this instance as they’re also water repellent, allowing you to blast through puddles without too much concern.
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You’ll hear much about gloves among cyclists. The broad consensus is that a thin liner glove matched with a thicker glove with greater protection is a winning combination, and whilst that does work, it does leave you with little in the way of dexterity.
The wisdom on this is gradually evolving. Yes - the double glove option is still a winner, but increasingly there’s a move towards keeping your hands warm by keeping them wet. This is what Neoprene Gloves do. They trap your heat and insulate to such a degree that there’s very little breathability - meaning that you have an entirely sealed experience. This is not something commonly touted as a positive in cycling, but in deep winter conditions, this design allows you to ride onwards in downpours as well as big chills with minimal disruption to your feel and control on the handlebars.
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To get the best out of yourself, every single session is important. When I was goal setting, I used to view early season training as the training that meant when the time came to train hard, I was fit enough to assimilate as much as possible. In short, the goal of my early season training was to allow my body to take all that work load on and move me forward.
A long way out from our objectives it is easy to be more relaxed about what we are doing like it is less important. This just isn't true. It is all equally important! A little more emphasis on early season training will help you counter the a more complacent approach in those training rides and help you meet your goals later in the season.
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No extreme cold kit list is complete without a skull cap. We often buy our helmets on the merit of their ventilation or breathability, yet we often fail to consider that in winter, this just sees us channel cold air straight to our heads. A skull cap is that critical layer that stops that chill factor. Tucking your ears away from the air and keeping a low profile under your helmet, this is a technical item in the cyclist’s arsenal.
Matched with, or often replacing the need for a skull cap, a Neck Warmer if folded correctly can offer similar protection, but is largely used to border the area between the Trikot collar and your Skull Cap. Often thin, but fantastic protection for your face against the cold, we’d strongly recommend one on any winter ride.
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No extreme cold kit list is complete without a skull cap. We often buy our helmets on the merit of their ventilation or breathability, yet we often fail to consider that in winter, this just sees us channel cold air straight to our heads. A skull cap is that critical layer that stops that chill factor. Tucking your ears away from the air and keeping a low profile under your helmet, this is a technical item in the cyclist’s arsenal.
Matched with, or often replacing the need for a skull cap, a Neck Warmer if folded correctly can offer similar protection, but is largely used to border the area between the Trikot collar and your Skull Cap. Often thin, but fantastic protection for your face against the cold, we’d strongly recommend one on any winter ride.
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To stay motivated and committed it is important to recognize progress. Sometimes this takes a bit of discipline - it's easy to get carried away on the next goal or target, but to create sustainable progress, you need to take a deep breath sometimes and let yourself feel good about how far you've come.
If you don’t recognize how far you've come it is possible to over-reach psychologically. Equally try to avoid rewards that counter the progress you have made, like too much cake. Set markers and accept failures as lessons and opportunities that instigate a better understanding.
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